The present invention relates, in general, to apparatus for cleaning sand beaches, and more particularly to apparatus for floating oil and other debris which has collected on an ocean beach and for collecting that material for disposal.
In part because of an increased awareness of environmental problems, and in part because of an increasing number of accidents involving the spillage of huge quantities of crude oil, the serious damage to shoreline ecology and the widespread destruction of recreation areas and wildlife habitat by such oil spillage has become of increasing concern throughout the world. Oil spills from accidents involving tankers or from run-away offshore oil wells seriously pollute beach areas throughout widespread areas, and the removal of the thick, tar-like residue from spills is an almost impossible task. No effective means for cleaning this material from beaches is available other than by complete removal of the surface layer of the beach and replacement with clean sand. While this may appear to solve the immediate problem of the affected beach, disposal of the oil-polluted sand remains an unsolved problem. Furthermore, removal of the top layer of sand and oil does not always completely clean the beach, for often the oil and other debris is washed on shore during a storm so that much of it is buried. This buried material later rises to the surface of the sand to present a continuing problem. In addition to being an ineffective remedy, the removal of the top layer of sand is extremely damaging to the shoreline ecological system, for removal of the sand results in elimination of the microorganisms in the sand that are essential to shore life. Thus, in the long run the removal of the sand may do more damage than the oil, and for this reason the sand removal method is no longer acceptable.